Experian PLC in Costa Mesa is trying to set itself apart from the competition with its new 30-second TV ads featuring two rogue computers—the fictional Karmarama 2000 and Jacktronic VI.
The not-so-lovable duo represents the “other guys” in the credit management market who offer services such as fraud resolution and credit reports but, according to Experian, don’t deliver on their promises.
The first ad shows Jacktronic VI telling Karmarama 2000 to “just make that super annoying modem noise” when a consumer calls asking for the fraud resolution department.
In the second ad, they both chuckle as they transfer a call from a consumer to an abandoned pay phone after she asks for “an actual credit report like the one the bank sees.”
Experian’s advertising agency of record, the Martin Agency of Richmond, Va., created the ads.
The ads have appeared on BBC America and the Independent Film Channel, according to ispot.tv.
Surf for Health
Ambry Genetics in Aliso Viejo has partnered with the Mauli Ola Foundation in Laguna Beach to launch the Battle for the Breasts surf video contest, aimed at increasing awareness of breast cancer and the importance of early detection and screening.
The contest will feature top women surfers who will compete for $125,000 worth of hereditary breast cancer testing vouchers donated by Ambry Genetics and a chance to win up to a $50,000 prize purse. Each surfer will be paired with a cancer center or a cancer foundation and will surf on its behalf.
“Targeting women to appropriate screening, based on their personal or family history, or results of genetic testing, is the most effective mechanism we have for preventing breast cancer and saving lives,” Charles Dunlop, chief executive of Ambry Genetics, said in a news release.
Surf video entries will be accepted through Sept. 22. The online voting begins Oct. 1 and closes Oct. 28, which coincides with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The winners will be announced Oct. 31.
Ambry Genetics, a private company, is a commercial clinical laboratory that focuses on diagnostics and genomic services.
Morbid Marketing
Fountain Valley-based MEDL Mobile Inc. has created a photo-sharing mobile app for Universal Pictures’ “A Million Ways to Die in the West” movie.
The movie app, developed in collaboration with the Beverly Hills-based Media Rights Capital film studio, allows users to “fake their own death” by taking a photo and then modifying it to look like they suffered from one of the scenarios depicted in the movie—a scorpion attack, impalement, or being crushed by a giant block of ice.
“Movie marketing with mobile apps has become serious business,” Dave Swartz, MEDL’s president and chief creative officer, said in a news release. “Images created in the app can be shared across social media, with each share creating awareness and spreading a clickable link back to the app, which in turn drives ticket and merchandise sales.”
MEDL also worked with Media Rights Capital in 2012 on the creation of an app for the movie “Ted” that generated more than 3.5 million downloads.
Bits & Pieces
Taco Bell Corp. in Irvine is running a new 30-second TV ad featuring the Quesarito, its newest addition to the menu. The ad, created by Deutsch LA, features “the Taco Bell Feed The Beat band Capital Cities and their song ‘Love Away,’ as part of the brand’s on-going initiative to help artists gain exposure to the millions of people the brand reaches in its television advertising,” a press release said. … TransWorld SKATEboarding magazine and game developer SuperVillain Studios have partnered to create TransWorld Endless Skater, a skateboarding game exclusively for mobile platforms. The magazine’s sales team will be offering sponsorship opportunities within the game to its brand partners. … Cypress-based Clarion Corp. of America and Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. are working together on Clarion Builds, “an innovative marketing program … to tackle unique restoration projects of iconic cars and trucks.” First on their list is the ground-up restoration of a 1974 BMW 2002.
